Jet-lag hit us hard, but not nearly as hard as opening our e-mails and seeing the news of more dear saints going home to Jesus.
We knew that both Fran Duven and Lois Hector were not well, and that for them, the hope of heaven was an eager anticipation, having lived many years. Yet, it is hard to not have been in town to say good bye to these dear saints in the Lord. I will never forget the night I took sixth grade boys to visit Fran, and her joy at telling them her life story, and their amazement at her recollection of the past. And Lois was continually counting the blessings of her life. She would often sing parts of the hymn "Count Your Many Blessings" during our visits - whether it was recalling God's faithfulness in their ministry or family, she was always so grateful for all that she had experienced in life.
Then we learned of tragedy in the Herda family, with the accident that took Dave's life. How our hearts go out to the Mars family and Andy and Jessica, and Nick and Leah. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating weddings and graduations. Our hearts ache with Brenda in the sudden and tragic loss of her husband.
And then on Friday more tragedy. Mike Vander Meulen also died in a tragic accident while driving truck. It seems too much to bear, and again our hearts ache with Peggy and long for God's grace in this sudden sorrow.
There are many of our sisters and brothers in Japan who are reading this blog, and I invite us all to join in prayer for these families who have lost dear loved ones.
In the coming days, I hope to include some reflections on the global experience in Japan and invite you to check back.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
June 9-13 – Culture, History, and Fun!
From the Korver’s we headed on Saturday, June 9, to explore Tokyo on our own. A small-town Iowa family of 6 in a city of 12 million! I love an adventure, and, thankfully, my family put up with me for the quest to explore the unknown.
We stayed in the New Takanawa Prince Hotel, just a 5 minute walk from the Shinagawa train station. One of the things we had fun exploring was how easy it is to get around massive urban areas with efficient mass transit.
Saturday and Sunday we experienced Tokyo culture and history. We attended a martial arts demonstration in Shinukju area. And we enjoyed a “Tokyo Morning Tour” by bus, seeing the entire city from Tokyo Tower (tallest structure in Tokyo), witnessing the ancient Shinto Meiji Shrine, the Imperial Palace and East Gardens, along with driving through contemporary Tokyo’s shopping district, called the Ginza.
On Monday, we explored sites outside of Tokyo, taking a tour to Mt. Fuji and Hakone regions. The weather only gave us glimpses of Japan’s tallest peak, but the views into the lush Japanese countryside were incredible. The tour included a ride on a lake as well as an aerial tram to the top of a small peak. We returned to Tokyo via bullet train.
One remarkable blessing is that the members or our family that get motion sickness endured 8 modes of transportation in only 48 hours and didn’t get sick – bus, train, subway, car, boat, aerial tram, bullet train, and air plane!
Tuesday was an unscheduled day and we decided to let the kids choose the events. It was a no-brainer. Having now overdosed on culture and history the choice was easy – Tokyo Disney Sea! It was an absolute blast. School in Japan was still in session, so the crowds were minimal – no more than a 5 minute wait for any ride. It was a great family way to end our experience.
June 13 was the longest day repeated backwards. We left for the airport at 11 a.m. Our plane took off at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday from Tokyo and landed at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday in Detroit! Yep, we landed before we took off. And it still took us nearly 30 hours to get home.
We stayed in the New Takanawa Prince Hotel, just a 5 minute walk from the Shinagawa train station. One of the things we had fun exploring was how easy it is to get around massive urban areas with efficient mass transit.
Saturday and Sunday we experienced Tokyo culture and history. We attended a martial arts demonstration in Shinukju area. And we enjoyed a “Tokyo Morning Tour” by bus, seeing the entire city from Tokyo Tower (tallest structure in Tokyo), witnessing the ancient Shinto Meiji Shrine, the Imperial Palace and East Gardens, along with driving through contemporary Tokyo’s shopping district, called the Ginza.
On Monday, we explored sites outside of Tokyo, taking a tour to Mt. Fuji and Hakone regions. The weather only gave us glimpses of Japan’s tallest peak, but the views into the lush Japanese countryside were incredible. The tour included a ride on a lake as well as an aerial tram to the top of a small peak. We returned to Tokyo via bullet train.
One remarkable blessing is that the members or our family that get motion sickness endured 8 modes of transportation in only 48 hours and didn’t get sick – bus, train, subway, car, boat, aerial tram, bullet train, and air plane!
Tuesday was an unscheduled day and we decided to let the kids choose the events. It was a no-brainer. Having now overdosed on culture and history the choice was easy – Tokyo Disney Sea! It was an absolute blast. School in Japan was still in session, so the crowds were minimal – no more than a 5 minute wait for any ride. It was a great family way to end our experience.
June 13 was the longest day repeated backwards. We left for the airport at 11 a.m. Our plane took off at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday from Tokyo and landed at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday in Detroit! Yep, we landed before we took off. And it still took us nearly 30 hours to get home.
Friday, June 15, 2007
June 7&8 – Korver Kindness
“…partnership in the Gospel…” (Philippians 1:5)
The official part of the exchange now over, we enjoyed two amazing days with Ron and Ruby Korver. Ron came to Japan in 1946 and never left. Ruby, native to Japan, has a remarkable story of her journey into Christ. Together they have formed an enduring partnership in Christ’s work for the salvation of the people of Japan.
It is beautiful to watch them labor side by side for Christ.
In our two full days with them, we shared much time together relaxing and seeing their part of Japan. The kids’ favorite was, of course, the beach, but we also visited a garden and museum area once owned by Emperor Hirohito. On Friday, we journeyed out to Enoshima – an island not far from Kamakura and Zushi. Ascending to its highest point by escalator and elevator, we took a leisurely stroll back down to the ocean.
In our stay with the Ron and Ruby we were all very grateful for their life of ministry and open hearts to sharing life with us. What was impressed upon our family was seeing the fruit of ministry over a life-time of commitment to Christ. They spear-headed the fellowship exchange program in retirement and are overjoyed to see it continue. They also continue to hold Bible studies in their home, which have been an incredible blessing to the believers.
Would you pray a prayer of thanks for their tireless effort for Christ? And then pray for them as they make important decisions on their own future. They intend to decide soon whether to live full time in Japan or in Green Bay, WI, where some of their children live.
Here are some pictures of our time at the Korvers:
The official part of the exchange now over, we enjoyed two amazing days with Ron and Ruby Korver. Ron came to Japan in 1946 and never left. Ruby, native to Japan, has a remarkable story of her journey into Christ. Together they have formed an enduring partnership in Christ’s work for the salvation of the people of Japan.It is beautiful to watch them labor side by side for Christ.
In our two full days with them, we shared much time together relaxing and seeing their part of Japan. The kids’ favorite was, of course, the beach, but we also visited a garden and museum area once owned by Emperor Hirohito. On Friday, we journeyed out to Enoshima – an island not far from Kamakura and Zushi. Ascending to its highest point by escalator and elevator, we took a leisurely stroll back down to the ocean.
In our stay with the Ron and Ruby we were all very grateful for their life of ministry and open hearts to sharing life with us. What was impressed upon our family was seeing the fruit of ministry over a life-time of commitment to Christ. They spear-headed the fellowship exchange program in retirement and are overjoyed to see it continue. They also continue to hold Bible studies in their home, which have been an incredible blessing to the believers.
Would you pray a prayer of thanks for their tireless effort for Christ? And then pray for them as they make important decisions on their own future. They intend to decide soon whether to live full time in Japan or in Green Bay, WI, where some of their children live.
Here are some pictures of our time at the Korvers:
June 6 – Christ in Yokohama & Dutch Bingo
[NOTE: The next several entries were posted after our safe return of June 13. Due to lack of internet access we were unable to make updates.]
During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” (Acts 16:9)
The morning brought good-byes at the church, and the 2007 Fellowship Exchange between Trinity and Yukinoshita Congregation has come to an end. In our hearts we immediately made plans for what we will do when our sisters and brothers visit us in Orange City.
The NWC drama team headed to Yokohama Union Church for a morning performance to preschool children and their parents. The Opgenorth’s tagged along.
Ken & Linda are both ordained pastors in this unique ministry to the international community. Yokohama has a significant number of English speaking people from various parts of the world, and this church is one of the oldest Protestant churches in Japan, dating to the 19th century. Linda graduated from Hope and Ken graduated from Dubuque and is ordained in the PCUSA. The Union Church is an English-speaking congregation, making it quite unique that a Japanese pastor preaches to an English congregation.
The congregation has had three buildings in its history. It’s first sat up to 500 people in a very European-looking large church (I think during the period of many foreigners living here and few churches). That building was eventually given to start Ferris School. The building was destroyed in the epic earthquake of 1923 that destroyed most of Yokohama.
The church’s second building was also destroyed, but this time by a bomb from a US raid in World War II. Ironically, it was the only bomb that fell in that entire neighborhood during the fire-bombing that occurred.
The church then met in a variety of locations through the years and in 2004 the congregation built a beautiful facility with 84 chairs. Although small in size, it has a thriving pre-school ministry and very capable pastoral leadership. To my eye it seems primed for growth.
The team performed three short “Ancient Plays” and ate a wonderful lunch. After lunch, just before leaving, the team performed an enacted prayer for Ken & Linda’s ministry. The prayer they want answered was “We are praying for a partnership with an American church to do a week of VBS in Yokohama and for the Holy Spirit to fill this place.”
The enacted prayer was beautiful and many tears streamed down the faces of Ken and Linda.
Could he be a man in “Macedonia” calling out to Trinity?
One of the unique things about partnering with this congregation is that there is no language barrier with the children they are reaching out to. Something to pray about.
Another interesting part of the visit was seeing the architecture of the church. The Barker’s and Opgenorth’s immediately saw some qualities we thought were beautiful for Trinity – large hewn wooden beams, loads of natural light, stone floor, elegant (but portable) furniture, and a unique way every member’s participation was seen in the design of one window.
Finally, we met a 1992 NWC grad (pictured, but I cannot remember her name). She brought with her the 1992 yearbook and it was fun to see old pics of people like Rick Scholtens and Kris Korver.
The afternoon was spent with Beth Bonnema (her married name is Japanese and I forgot it). On one side of her family, Beth is a first cousin to Marlys Van Aartsen. On the other side, she is a first cousin to Paul Aykens.
Beth came to Yokohama in the early 1960s on an RCA short-term volunteer program (3.5 years) and never left. She met a man who would become a Japanese Baptist minister, and they were married. Her husband died, and she stayed in Japan. Now she is retired and took our family around Yokohama for the day.
We saw a museum detailing the presence of Westerners in Yokohama and then enjoyed the modern down town. Because the earthquake and war destroyed much of the city, the down town was rebuilt with lots of planning and is a very modern city. Among other sites, we traveled to the top of Landmark Tower (the tallest building in Japan), rode the giant Ferris wheel called “Cosmo World,” and a fun little roller coaster called Spinning Coaster.
Thanks, Beth, for a great day in your city!
Then it was back to Zushi by train and we relocated to Ron and Ruby Korver’s, where we’ll spend Thursday and Friday.
During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” (Acts 16:9)
The morning brought good-byes at the church, and the 2007 Fellowship Exchange between Trinity and Yukinoshita Congregation has come to an end. In our hearts we immediately made plans for what we will do when our sisters and brothers visit us in Orange City.
The NWC drama team headed to Yokohama Union Church for a morning performance to preschool children and their parents. The Opgenorth’s tagged along.
Ken & Linda are both ordained pastors in this unique ministry to the international community. Yokohama has a significant number of English speaking people from various parts of the world, and this church is one of the oldest Protestant churches in Japan, dating to the 19th century. Linda graduated from Hope and Ken graduated from Dubuque and is ordained in the PCUSA. The Union Church is an English-speaking congregation, making it quite unique that a Japanese pastor preaches to an English congregation.The congregation has had three buildings in its history. It’s first sat up to 500 people in a very European-looking large church (I think during the period of many foreigners living here and few churches). That building was eventually given to start Ferris School. The building was destroyed in the epic earthquake of 1923 that destroyed most of Yokohama.
The church’s second building was also destroyed, but this time by a bomb from a US raid in World War II. Ironically, it was the only bomb that fell in that entire neighborhood during the fire-bombing that occurred.
The church then met in a variety of locations through the years and in 2004 the congregation built a beautiful facility with 84 chairs. Although small in size, it has a thriving pre-school ministry and very capable pastoral leadership. To my eye it seems primed for growth.
The team performed three short “Ancient Plays” and ate a wonderful lunch. After lunch, just before leaving, the team performed an enacted prayer for Ken & Linda’s ministry. The prayer they want answered was “We are praying for a partnership with an American church to do a week of VBS in Yokohama and for the Holy Spirit to fill this place.”The enacted prayer was beautiful and many tears streamed down the faces of Ken and Linda.
Could he be a man in “Macedonia” calling out to Trinity?
One of the unique things about partnering with this congregation is that there is no language barrier with the children they are reaching out to. Something to pray about.
Another interesting part of the visit was seeing the architecture of the church. The Barker’s and Opgenorth’s immediately saw some qualities we thought were beautiful for Trinity – large hewn wooden beams, loads of natural light, stone floor, elegant (but portable) furniture, and a unique way every member’s participation was seen in the design of one window.Finally, we met a 1992 NWC grad (pictured, but I cannot remember her name). She brought with her the 1992 yearbook and it was fun to see old pics of people like Rick Scholtens and Kris Korver.
The afternoon was spent with Beth Bonnema (her married name is Japanese and I forgot it). On one side of her family, Beth is a first cousin to Marlys Van Aartsen. On the other side, she is a first cousin to Paul Aykens.
Beth came to Yokohama in the early 1960s on an RCA short-term volunteer program (3.5 years) and never left. She met a man who would become a Japanese Baptist minister, and they were married. Her husband died, and she stayed in Japan. Now she is retired and took our family around Yokohama for the day.We saw a museum detailing the presence of Westerners in Yokohama and then enjoyed the modern down town. Because the earthquake and war destroyed much of the city, the down town was rebuilt with lots of planning and is a very modern city. Among other sites, we traveled to the top of Landmark Tower (the tallest building in Japan), rode the giant Ferris wheel called “Cosmo World,” and a fun little roller coaster called Spinning Coaster.
Thanks, Beth, for a great day in your city!
Then it was back to Zushi by train and we relocated to Ron and Ruby Korver’s, where we’ll spend Thursday and Friday.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
June 5 - Sayunara
And the tears begin....
But they are tears of joy for a faith being made strong.
Today is the last official day of the exchange. Since the NW team is going to a school to do the same material, we use the day to do a little laundry and spend some time at the beach before heading out to a sayunara party at the church.
Andrew loves all the different cars we are seeing. Yesterday's picture was of him in the tiniest Nissan we've ridden in. We actually fit five people in that car! Today's picture is of him Hideki's Jaguar, at the opposite end of the size chart :). There's also a picture of Julie trying on the kimono the girls are bringing home from Japan.
The sayunara was a very special time indeed. Once again, the ladies of the church out-did themselves with an extravagant meal. We enjoyed lots of fellowship, followed by various piano players stepping up to play songs. There were many tears of joy from our time and sadness that this portion is over so soon.
I will hope to have more posts on the deeper things the Lord is showing me on this journey to Kamakura, but one thing is very evident - Yukinoshita Church is growing as a congregation as more young people are becoming involved. The faith of the long-time members is rich the life. And there seems to be an even stronger outward focus for ministry. A joy permeates the people we have met, and a deep hunger for the Lord is prevalent among them.
This is likely my last post for several days, as we're moving on June 6 to the Korver's. They do not have Internet access, so the blog will need it's own sayunara!
June 4 - The Beauty of Japan
Pictures speak louder than words, so this post is mostly pictures. On Monday, the congregation organized a bus tour of the peninsula Kamakura is located on. We saw a variety of sights:
Mikasa Navy Ship, which fought in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05 and was the lead ship in the battle group.
We saw a new church building in Yokosuka that the Kamakura congregation has helped to begin.
Lunch was at a beautiful hotel buffet overlooking the ocean.
We visited the beach where Commodore Perry first arrived in Japan in 1853, opening up friendship and trade with Japan.
Then it was off to a sea park, with a dolphin show and an aquarium.
Since the kids loved Yakasobe so much the night before, Kyoko had them help make it a second night, with Julie taking the lead :).
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